Resilient wheel.



J. L. FIRM.

RESILIENT WHEEL. APPLICATION FILED SEPT. 13. 1915.

1,175,055. Patented Mar. 14,1916.

2 SHEETS-SHEET l.

.l. L. FIRM.

RESILIENT WHEEL.

APPLICATION FILED SEPT. 13. 1915.

Patented Mar. 14, 1916.

2 SHEETSSHEET 2.

m M V MM onrrnn STATES PATENT ons en.

JOSEPH L. FIRM, 0F BERWYN, ILLINOIS.

RESILIENT WHEEL.

Application filed September 1 To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, JOSEPH L. FIRM, a citizen of the United States, and a resident 0 Ber-Wyn, in the county of Cook and State of Illinois, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Resilient \Vheels, of which the following is a specification, reference being had to the accompanying drawlhis invention relatesto resilient Wheels and particularly to the form of wheel shown, described and claimed in United States patent granted to me on June 15, 1915, No. 1,143,180, in which the resilience of a pneumatic tube mounted on the wheel within an outer rim is adapted to be transmitted to such outer rim.

It is one of the objects of my present invention to simplify the construction of the wheel whereby access may be had readily to the various parts of the mechanism.

To this end, it is one of the objects of my invention to provide a new and improved form of shoe adapted to bear upon the pneumatic tube; it is another object to provide improved means for holding in position the wire spokes which extend between the hub and the annular band located between the pneumatic tube and the outer rim; and it is another object of my invention to improve wheels of this type in sundry details hereinafter pointed out.

The means by which I have accomplished my several objects are illustrated in the accompanying drawings and are hereinafter specifically described. W

That which I believe to be new and desire to cover by this application is set forth in the claims.

In the drawings-Figure 1 is a side view of a wheel embodying my improvements; Fig. 2 is a central vertical section through the upper half of the wheel shown in Fig. 1; Fig. 3 is an enlarged detail showing the manner of connecting the outer ends of the wire spokes to the annular band located between the hub and the outer rim; Fig. 4 is a detail showing my improved shoe in central vertical section; Fig. 5 is an enlarged detail, being a top view of my improved shoe with the two parts of the shoe slightly separated; Fig. 6 is a top view of the 'nut which is adapted to be used for connecting the two parts of my improved shoe together; Fig. 7 is a detail showing an edge view of the cap by which the inner ends of the wire spokes Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented Mar. .14, 1916.

3, 1915. Serial No. 50,398.

are held in position; and Fig. 8 is a. side view of the cap shown in Fig. 7.

Referring to the several figures of the drawings, in which corresponding parts are indicated by the same reference characters,- 15 indicates a hub member provided with a central flange 16 to which are secured by means of bolts 17 annular rings 18 which together form a rim for a pneumatic tube 19, such tube 19 being preferably of the clencher type, as illustrated.

Bearing upon the pneumatic tube 19 are a plurality of shoes 20 in each of which is mounted a radially-extending pin 21 engaging at its outer end a suitable socket 22 formed upon the inner periphery of an outer rim 23 which is provided with a tire 24 of any suitable type, the tire 24 being preferably a solid rubber tire. As is best shown in Figs. 4 and 5, each of the shoes 20 comprises two members 25-26, each of which members has a tongue 27 adapted to engage a suitable groove 28 in the other member for holding the two parts removably together. The members 25-26 are further held together by means of a nut 29 secured by means of screwthreads upon the outer ends of lugs 30 which serve to provide a socket for the inner end of one of the pins 21.

As is best shown in Figs. 1 and 2, each of the pins 21 passes through a suitable slot 31 extending circumferentially of a band 32 located between the pneumatic tube 19 and the rim 23. The band 32 is held rigidly in position by means of wire spokes 33 which are acljustably secured at their outer ends to such band by means of nuts 34, the construction being such that the spokes are free to move outward relative to the band 32 but are limited by the nuts in their movement toward the hub. As is clearly shown in Fig. 2, the wire spokes 33 are located upon opposite sides of the pneumatic tube 19, being adapted to hold the band 32 fixed in position relative to the hub 15 without interfering in any way with the action of the tube. If desired, nuts 34 may be used for preventing outward movement of the nuts 3-l= and spokes 33, as shown in Fig. 3.

The inner ends of the spokes 33 at one side of the wheel are held fixedly in position by means of an annular band 37 secured in appropriate position upon the hub 15. The inner ends of the spokes 33 at the opposite side of the wheel are secured in suitable slots 36 cut in the end of a ring 37 secured in appropriate position upon the hub 15, the spokes being adapted to be held in position-in the slots 36 by means of a cap 38' provided with correspondingly-posltioned slots 39 which is adapted to be inserted over the outer end of the ring or sleeve 37, being held removably in position by a plurality of screws 40, or in any other suitable manner.

\Vith the wheel assembled as shown in Figs. 1 and 2, when it is desired to remove the pneumatic tube 19, the cap 38 would first be removed, the spokes 33 on that side of the wheel would then be loosened by turning the nuts 34, whereupon the inner ends of the spokes would be free to move to one side out of engagement with the ring or sleeve 37, and the spokes 33 can then be moved outward through the openings in the band Upon the removal of the nuts 29 from the shoes 20, the outer portion of each of said shoes can be moved out of engagement with its cooperating member, whereupon the tube 19 can be readily removed by the removal of the supporting ring 18 at that side of the wheel.

I have found in practice that by the use of the structure as shown and described herein a resilient wheel of great efiiciency is provided, the tire 24 and rim 23 being adapted to yield very readily relative to the hub 15 when a wheel supporting a load passes over an inequality in the roadway.

I have found that by the use of wheels of this type a very considerable saving is made rality of two-part shoes interposed between the inner ends of said matic tube.

2. In a resilient wheel, the combination of a hub, a pneumatic tube mounted on said hub, a tire extending about said pneumatic tube but out of contact therewith, and means for spacing said tire from said pneumatic tube, said spacing means comprising a plurality of radially-extending pins and a plurality of shoes interposed between the inner ends of said pins and said pneumatic tube, each of said shoes comprising two interlocking members secured together by means of a suitable nut.

JOSEPH L'. FIRM.

pins and said pneu- 

